The conventional method of installing a panel (e.g. drywall) on a ceiling involves standing on a box or bench, lifting the panel with both hands to position the panel on the ceiling, and then holding the panel against the ceiling with one hand. During the lifting of the panel, the drill is held either between a worker's legs or clipped to a tool belt. A screw is placed in a magnetic bit of a drill and the panel is screwed to the ceiling. More screws are held in the installers mouth, in the hand holding up the panel or in the tool belt. The installer places the drill between his knees, removes a screw from the mouth, the hand holding up the panel or the tool belt, installs it on the bit, and inserts subsequent screws to tack the panel in place on the ceiling. The process is time consuming, difficult and dangerous due to the danger of ingesting the screws, the danger of screws piercing the hand holding up the panel and the need to stand on a support structure. Holding up the panel on the ceiling with one hand is also painful due to the weight of the panel on the worker's fingers and the position of the wrist while holding the panel up for an extended period of time.
Many efforts in the art have been made to ameliorate this problem by using floor supported supports for lifting and/or supporting panels for installation on a ceiling. However, such floor supported supports are generally more expensive, laborious to use, require much time to set up, and/or are more difficult to transport and store due to their size and complexity.
There remains a need for a simple, hand-held tool for assisting in the installation of ceiling and wall panels, which is portable, easy to manage and quick to use.